A government of ’all sorts’

A government of ‘all sorts’

De Facto
Liamy MacNally

The new Cabinet will not have any time to bed down before controversy emerges, thanks to the former Environment Minister, Dick Roche. While wrestling with the death pangs of the final day of his ministry, he still managed to inflict a serious wound on newcomer John Gormley, by signing an order allowing work to resume on the controversial M3 project. It brings to mind Frank Fahey’s signing of the controversial Corrib Plan of Development on his last day in office. Frank Fahey’s bitter legacy unfolds every day in a tsunami of bitterness and recrimination on the roadways and shorelines of north Mayo.  John Gormley must now outdo Michael Jackson and moon dance his way through the quagmire bestowed on him by Dick Roche. Why allow ministers who are standing in the departure halls of their respective ministries to make major decisions? 
John Gormley probably will not have much of an opportunity to get his head around the requirements of running such a huge department before he finds himself on the backfoot being forced to ‘defend’ an outrageous decision by his predecessor. What makes it more outrageous is that under normal circumstances he, as the new Minister for the Environment, would be in the best position to bring about a reasonable solution to the M3 controversy. He has some understanding of the value of the site as a Green Party member. Unfortunately, too many, in the words of GB Shaw ‘know the price of everything and the value of nothing’. Where else, but in a country with an over-supply of gombeen men in positions of power, would one not treat ancient royal heritage sites with the respect they deserve? If we cannot respect the past it does not augur well for the future.       

CLEARING ELECTION PROMISES
It is back to reality now for all political parties. The blur and fog of election promises have cleared and the only reality they will now have to face is reality itself. The merry-go-round of spin has come to a halt and the cold chill of political life has to take hold. The wheeling and dealing has ended and the road to the next election is already unfurling before party members. What was said by so many about so many others before the election has now dissipated into the mists of time, consigned to the ‘heat of the moment’ as new, unlikely friendships emerge and new partnerships are forged.
The Government of ‘liquorice all-sorts’’ as Enda Kenny described the current crop, will have to adjust to the narrow roads and slower speed that is the hallmark of coalitions. The party programmes for Government have all been singed in the furnace of dialogue preceding agreement. 

THE GREENING OF IRELAND
The Green Party’s overwhelming support to enter coalition was a surprise. The argument that they could achieve more of their aims from inside Government while marking time on other policy principles won out in the end. Add to that the sweet smell and taste of power. Everyone has a price. To obtain two major ministries is also some achievement. The cynics will argue that Bertie Ahern gave them those ministries because their brief is so broad. John Gormley and Eamon Ryan will be so busy in their respective departments from putting out ‘fires’ to understanding the ‘system’ that they will not have time for anything else. It will be interesting to see how Eamon Ryan handles the Corrib gas issue. Again, all that is needed is the application of common sense rather than the implementation of strong-arm tactics.

HARNEY’S HEALTH LEGACY 
Mary Harney is still possibly the best placed to tackle the health minefield. At least she knows where much of the destructive ordinance is located. While the hospital co-location policy is still of concern to many people, there would not appear to have been a queue for her position as Health Minister. She has also declared that she will not be standing for election again. This gives her the added impetus to tackle the nonsense that is endemic in the structures of the health service. She has an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy, even if it is only to show up the scandal that exists in the so-called partnership between some doctors and some consultants.
Why should anyone have to fork out €50 to a doctor to get a letter to make an appointment with a consultant? It is gratuitous, demeaning and insulting, along with being morally questionable.  How can any medical personnel condemn a patient to the public health waiting list while the same service is available to those with money in double-quick time? Of course the current system raises moral questions.

BEV IN THE WINGS
When the Cabinet mid-term reshuffle comes around in about two years there is some hushed talk that Beverley Flynn will feature. By then she will be resting comfortably in the political arms of Bertie Ahern having suffered the Siberian experience long enough. While Bev might play out the drama of the bankruptcy charge because she has noting more to lose, in the end it will be resolved, but she will not pay any more than she has to.
Her election ‘sweetheart deal’ with Bertie that is not signed, sealed or delivered has raised temperatures of some former party colleagues. The reality is – and we are back in the era of reality – that Bev has been re-elected without any help from party HQ or locally. ‘Official’ Fianna Fáil will have the summer holidays to realise that they have failed to stop Bev.
Their local and national antics failed. And why wouldn’t they? Like Dick Roche, they made a major mistake in signing off on Bev. Some claim that the rebuilding of the party in Mayo is in a worse shape than the mess it was in previously. They will eventually realise that she is their best asset in Mayo and they cannot move forward without the ‘class act’.